


i don't believe it that you're sinking and i'm okay

by pepsipink



Series: Where've you been and where no sun is a sin [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Crying, Depression, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mentions of OT4, Nonbinary Character, Vaginal Sex, this is self indulgent n im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 21:32:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10862502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepsipink/pseuds/pepsipink
Summary: She was royalty – a prince, surrounded by three people who loved her, adored by her father – there was no proper reason for her to feel so mopey, yet she was going on day three of being unable to leave her bed.





	i don't believe it that you're sinking and i'm okay

**Author's Note:**

> this is like... a semi-prequel to my other fic (life in the vivid dream) ... but it's also actually just smut. i'm uploading this at 3:30am so like, ignore everything i'm saying here; i wanted to write sex and this is an excuse to write sex but also to keep writing shit in the AU i wrote like, a month ago. 
> 
> eeeennnjjjjjoy?
> 
> @ gladio iknowhisdickisbigiknowitiknowitsbig.gif

“I can’t stand seein’ you depressed.”

Especially when she had no right to be. She was royalty – a prince, surrounded by three people who loved her, adored by her father – there was no proper reason for her to feel so _mopey_ , yet she was going on day three of being unable to leave her bed.

Had Ignis not been out of town, he would’ve been there to help her – he was able to encourage her in ways the others couldn’t. He let Noctis take her time getting back into the swing of things, whereas nobody else quite understood what it was like. Nobody _wanted_ to understand what it was like.

She had Prompto, but Prompto had his own plethora of issues, and she couldn’t trouble _his_ depressed ass with her own. He always insisted that it was alright, and she shouldn’t _ever_ have to worry about _burdening_ him with her illness, but she still felt like she could be too much – she brought him down. Prompto understood her on a personal level, but their empathy for one another sometimes made them thrive on unproductivity. Prompto couldn’t function when Noctis was upset, and Noctis didn’t know how to help Prompto because she was shitty at dealing with her own emotions.

He was finally able to spend the weekend with his parents, anyhow – she wasn’t going to take him from that when getting his mother and father’s approval was something that was so important to him.

But being the crown prince meant that spending the weekend in bed was absolutely impossible; it was looked down upon. Her father didn’t necessarily pester her with phone calls, but it was evident that he knew something was up with his completely out of character text messages. He sent people to check on her, though she refused to answer the door.

Gladio had a key, though.

Of her partners, Gladio was the only one who was blunt about things. He was loving, and certainly nurturing when it called for it, but he had the tendency to see things strictly at a surface level. He didn’t quite _get_ Noctis’ illness; didn’t understand that she had no idea why she was depressed – her brain was just _sick_. 

Years ago, he wouldn’t have stood for Noctis’ behavior. He’d have dragged her ass out of bed, and then he would’ve kicked it back into shape during their training sessions. But Noctis wasn’t getting any better, and Ignis explained to him that when she felt like this, she needed affection, understanding, _patience_. Noctis had had episodes like this before, but something seemed different about her. She just wasn’t there – an emptiness behind her eyes. It broke his heart.

Her laptop had been on for a while, set on her nightstand with some article displayed on the screen. She read a lot about stupid stuff when she was like this; things she didn’t need to know about, but found herself interested in anyway. Or rather, she wasn’t interested in it at all, but it was keeping her distracted.

Gladio sits by her bedside, taking note of how her blue eyes look away from his, even though she’s pretending that she’s been listening to what he’s been saying to her.

“Your food’s gonna get cold. C’mon, we can sit in the living room – watch a dumb movie. You can choose.” He says, leaning down to nuzzle into her cheek. “After that you can go back to bed. I’ll stay – I don’t got any plans.”

She feels his beard tickle against her skin, and she kind of smiles. He was so warm, with how he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She feels guilty, that all she wants to do is lay there and watch top 10 videos until she falls asleep – she doesn’t want to move and watch a movie, it’s too much effort.

But he went out and got her some shitty fast food, and he’s not dressed up, opting to match her in a simple pair of sweats and a t-shirt from the university he just graduated from last year.

“It’s freezing outside of bed.” Noctis huffs, rolling onto her back to get a better look at her boyfriend.

“Then we can bring your blanket. You want my hoodie, too?”

She’s too embarrassed to say yes, but when he grabs it from her closet and tosses it her way, she doesn’t hesitate to put it on.

Perhaps, it just being the two of them would be good. She loved Ignis and Prompto with everything she had, but there were times when the four of them together could feel overwhelming. Gladio was typically too busy to spend the night as of late, as he had to prepare for his ceremony of getting sworn into the crownsguard. Big preparations were being made, though nobody knew _why_ , and it was only stressing Noctis out even more. Being able to spend the night with Gladio alone would put her at ease, and rekindle their feelings for one another.

They hadn’t made love in a while, either. None of them did – there was too much going on, and sex was the last thing on their minds.

The movie she chose was some action packed martial arts tribute. Noctis had seen it hundreds of times, so she didn't have to pay all that much attention to it, but it was still at the top of her favorites list, so Gladio didn’t feel like she was completely uninterested. It was hard for her to finish her meal, even though it wasn’t all that much (compared to Gladio’s _three_ burgers, fries, milkshake, and soda.) She managed to get through all of it, knowing Gladio would complain if she didn’t, but every bite made her feel more and more nauseas. She didn’t even have it in her to remove the vegetables from her dish, biting through it (and even though Gladio thought it was weird, he didn’t say a damn thing because it was about fucking time that she stopped being such a picky eater.)

All in all, it was nice, distracting enough, but Noctis wasn’t able to snap out of it after all was said and done.

She laid on Gladio regardless, head pressed into his chest as he rubbed her lower back. His hand slipped up her shirt, feeling his warmth against her bare skin. She was glad that he never seemed to mind when she wasn’t wearing a bra, being too uncomfortable for a sad and lazy day such as this one, but it gave him the opportunity to feel his way up to her shoulder blades, fingers dancing across the scar she retained from her childhood injury.

The movie was almost over, reaching the climax as the mother finally avenged her tragic past. She always liked this scene, finding it touching – _inspiring_. Having the sort of motivation that the mother had was something Noctis could only _dream_ of. She wanted to be powerful, respected, but most importantly, surrounded by the ones she loved, able to live a normal life with them by her side. Yet she was born into royalty, and had to be a role model for hundreds of thousands of people. Royalty was a privilege anybody could’ve wished for, and she felt so guilty for dreading her duty – but she simply wasn’t meant to take on that role, and she was reminded of it every day by her anxiety, her inability to function normally on a daily basis. It sucked.

She feels Gladio take a deep breath once the credits start rolling, and she thinks that he’s fallen asleep, but she feels him press a kiss to the top of her head, and he shifts her slightly so they can get a better look at one another.

“Do you wanna go back to bed?” He asks, “I’m not really that tired, but I’ll stick around with you till you fall asleep.”

Noctis finds her breath hitching, fingertips grasping onto the fabric of his shirt.

“You’re not gonna leave, are you?”

“What? No – you got me for the whole weekend. Whether you like it or not.” Gladio chuckles, “I just meant that I might come back out here and watch TV or somethin’ – so I don’t disturb sleeping beauty.”

Bed sounded nice, it sounded comfortable. She wanted to be trapped in between her dozens of pillows, with her thick blanket weighed on top of her as she slept. She wanted to be embraced in Gladio’s arms, trapped in his warmth as his heartbeat lulled her to her dreams. She just wanted to be with him, and it was something she couldn’t fight – she had gone too long with her aversion to _people_ for the last couple of days. She was starved for affection, and she knew that Gladio would provide for her where she needed it most.

She’s in the bathroom while he fixes up her sleeping setup, having dragged her comforter into the living room while they sat through their movie together. She’s cleaning herself up for bed, but she knows she’s not going to turn down an opportunity to sleep with him. If he said no, she wouldn’t press, but she was hoping that he’d let her have him for the night. She stares at herself in the mirror, knowing that she was all sorts of messed up, certainly not in the right mindset to have sex, but she didn’t want to punish herself for being a mess anymore.

It had been too long.

Noctis walks out in only the hoodie Gladio provided her with, and the pair of black briefs that she liked to sleep in. He doesn’t think much of it, yet she crawls into bed and immediately places herself on his lap. Her arms wrap around his neck, and she presses her lips to his, bare thighs squeezing his waist as she pulls him closer.

“Noct…”

She rests her forehead against his, eyes closed as she musters up the courage to speak.

“Can we?”

“Babe, you’re exhausted.”

“I know I am…” She says, “But I just want to get spoiled for a little bit. It’s been so long, Gladio, and I – “

“Noct, I just want you to be okay with this.”

“I am. I am, I swear I am.” Her voice cracks slightly as she speaks, “I just want to be loved… I’m so tired of feeling alone… can we just – “

He kisses her in response, hands traveling to her hips, feeling how she adjusts herself on his lap – grinding into his groin.

“I love you, Gladio – and I trust you.” Her breath is hot against his lips, and there’s no way he can turn down her advances.

He only nods to her as his confirmation, flipping her onto the mattress, ever so carefully, to not set off any of the chronic pain she suffered from due to her back injury. He’s quick to push her shirt up her torso, revealing skin that he looked forward to every time they spent the night together. He never paid much attention to her breasts, as it made her a bit uncomfortable, and found an appreciation for her stomach, littering the soft flesh with kisses, and nibbles, the sensitivity making Noctis shudder with anticipation.

Spoiling was definitely something Gladio was capable of. Even though he insisted that he was the strict one, the one meant to keep Noctis on her toes, he couldn’t resist treating his prince like the royalty that she was.

And though Gladio wished that she’d take more initiative, that she would accept her duty and see the immense amounts of privilege she had – he couldn’t deny that she didn’t exactly have it easy. There was more pressure on her than there had been on her father before her, perhaps due to her taking on the King’s role despite being born a girl. King Regis raised her to be a normal child, something that nobody in the crownsguard understood, and suddenly all of this was coming at her at once. There was no _real_ preparation for her.

Was she spoiled? Sure – would that stop him from worshipping her in bed? No.

He leans up in order to press his lips against hers once more, hand splayed against her stomach, feeling how she shivered underneath his fingertips. He’s quick to work down to her briefs, tugging them off ever so gently, dropping them onto the floor – close to the bed so Noctis wouldn’t have to try too hard to find them once they were finished.

Gladio pulls away, gazing at her flushed face, seeing how she clenches her thighs out of embarrassment once she realizes that he’s _admiring_ her. His heart skips a beat when she finally locks eyes with his, sadness evident, but the longing too much for him to take. He pulls her hand to his lips, kissing the center of her palm.

“You’re so damn beautiful.” He says, voice sincere. “I’d do anything to see you smile again.”

“Then fuck me.”

She lays there in front of him, wearing nothing but the hoodie he provided her with, covering only half of her torso. He watches as her chest and stomach heave, surely quickening her heart as she experiences the _anxiety_ of being touched after so long. She was always nervous whenever they had sex, and he couldn’t figure out if it was _him_ , or if it was her own insecurities.

He doesn’t even laugh at her statement, feeling as though he has to take her command _seriously_. If it makes her happy, then why would he make light out of it?

Gladio sits in between her thighs, his fingers finding their way to her core. He’s gentle enough, thumb flickering over her clit before he goes any further – he knows it feels best there, and if he’s going to get her off, he’s going to spend as much time as he can building up to her orgasm. He didn’t have to get off to be satisfied with their time together, though it would be nice, and she’d insist on it anyway.

She bites her lip when he starts playing with her, pussy throbbing as he hits all the right spots. He’s not touching her with too much force, two fingers rubbing against her slit, just barely breaking through to her core, but he doesn’t press just yet. She’s already wet, and just the feeling of her natural lubricant makes his sweats feel a bit tighter.

He mumbles to her about getting the lube anyway, knowing that sex could be painful if she didn’t have enough preparation. She’s generous enough to spread some on his fingers after he withdrawals for a moment, but he immediately goes back in, entering her ever so gently, feeling how _tight_ she was for him.

Gladio looks up to see her eyes closed shut, one hand has a fistful of her bangs, and she’s breathing heavier. She loves the attention that she’s getting, but she was always so painfully quiet whenever it came to sex.

“Is this alright?” He asks, wanting to get _some_ sort of response out of her. “Let me know what feels good, sugar.”

“It feels great – hah – just a little faster.”

_Finally_ he feels a smile coming on, following her command. His thumb rubs circles around her clit while he thrusts his two fingers into her.

Her back arches when he hits a particularly sensitive spot inside of her, mouth hanging agape slightly. She’s panting, grasping onto the bedsheets, and Gladio can’t help but lean forward, pressing a kiss below her naval. He feels fingers thread through his hair, and when he looks up, he’s shocked to see Noctis looking straight at him.

He pulls away, removing his fingers from inside of her. Her eyes are glistening with tears, and he was _never_ good at comforting her when she cried. Hell, crying while they were having sex was a new concept that he had _never_ been introduced to.

Gladio frantically positions himself next to her, pulling Noctis into his arms; she’s quick to bury her face in his shirt, hands fisting the fabric.

“Baby, we don’t have to do this tonight. You’re upset – don’t push yourself.” His voice is softer than usual, “Noctis.”

“N-No. I’m sorry.” She tries to keep herself composed, but she can’t help the soft sobs from escaping. “I really want to – I miss you, okay?”

He’s sort of speechless, resting his chin on the top of her head. Her tears are soaking through his shirt, and he just feels so damn _guilty_ about doing anything with her when she was like this. He didn’t know if she felt like she had to prove something to him, but having sex with his partner who was in _tears_ seemed like it would be a terrible idea.

“I’m embarrassed – I’m sorry. I just – “ She hiccups, “I’ve just been alone, and I want to _feel_ something. It’s awful, Gladio – I’m so numb, and – only you, Iggy, Prom…”

“Noct, deep breaths.”

Noctis looks up at him, lip visibly quivering before him. She just looks so damn _sad_ – she didn’t deserve whatever it was her anxiety was doing to her. He wanted to show her how much he loved her – he just didn’t know if sex was the best way.

“I-I’ll stop crying. I feel like a child.”

He kisses her forehead, squeezing her in his arms.

“I can do this for you, Noctis.” He rubs his nose against hers, lips barely touching. “No more tears, okay?”

“Skip the foreplay – I can’t go another minute – “

Reckless.

He got pretty far with just his fingers, so the transition to actual intercourse probably wouldn’t have been an issue. But god… Noctis was impossible to get off with just his dick. He _wanted_ to worship her in bed, to memorize every feature of her beautiful fucking body.

He leans forward, lips pressed to her neck, kissing and sucking at her skin – he wants to leave bruises, bite-marks even, things that’ll remind her in the morning that she’s _loved_. His hand lingers back towards her pussy, thumb flicking over her clit, rubbing circles that make her entire body shudder. She lifts her hips, grinding into the feeling, thighs clenching around his waist, drawing him in closer. He’s ready to get out of his sweats, wanting to feel every inch of her against him.

Noctis gasps as a surge of pleasure catches her off guard, her fingers pulling at his hair ever so slightly.

It would be good for them – he had to keep reminding himself this. It _had_ been a while, and normally, Noct didn’t typically initiate like this. When she _was_ in the mood, she was a lot more playful, a lot more stubborn; a spoiled brat who wanted to get her way. He wants her to have that again – he’d insist that it was annoying, her behavior was childish, but secretly, he sort of adored it.

It doesn’t take long for him to shove his pants down enough so he can free his half-hard on.

Gladio pulls back, retracting his hand from her pussy, wrapping his fist around his cock instead. It wouldn’t take long for him to become fully erect, but he just felt a little guilty getting hard while Noctis was crying.

He jerks himself off while he admires her, leaning in to litter more kisses against her stomach, his free hand positioned on her thigh, spreading her apart. His kisses linger downwards, until his tongue circles around her clit – he suckles, and his tongue explores the wetness from her core (trying to ignore the bitter taste of the lube that was lingering around there – not that he cared too much) and she starts squirming underneath him.

“Gladio – I-I said no –“

He can’t help himself now, laughing once he pulls away, kisses against her inner thigh, his grip tight on her, loving that she had that bit of extra weight on her for him to squeeze onto.

“Sorry. Couldn’t help myself – I’m good to go.”

“ _Finally_.”

He bares his teeth as he smiles at her, lifting her hips up slightly as he positions himself in between her.

“That’s the Noct I know.” He hums, “Alright – you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Gladio grabs hold of his cock, pressing the tip against her vulva, throbbing in anticipation. He pushes himself into her, slowly, to the hilt. She was always a good sport when it came to taking him whole, _wanting_ that kind of experience more often than not. He was big – there was never any doubting that, never from any of his partners, but Noctis was the only one who wanted him in full every goddamn time.

She bites her hand as she adjusts to him, muscles frantically clenching around his dick. The only good thing about going so long without sex was that it made everything feel so much better when the chance finally came around again. He fits snuggly within her, her body starved for sensation makes it feel even better than she anticipated.

Noctis didn’t mind that they tended to go about things the vanilla way – Gladio was a softie in that sense. He’d tell her time and time again that getting too wild made him nervous, especially considering his size. He liked to keep things simple, his first priority was always getting off his partner and he was able to achieve that in the gentlest of ways. It’s evident in the way he leans forward, burying his face in the crook of her neck – when she wraps his arms around him, and he starts planting kisses against her skin. He wants her to be the center of the world for tonight, and as long as he was in control, he was going to give her everything she wanted.

When he starts thrusting his hips, she gasps for air. The initial shock of him being inside of her was hard enough, but now that he was moving – giving her the stimulation that she craved, it was hard to keep her mouth shut.

Her moans are soft, breaths following a sort of rhythm as his thrusts do. It feels so good to be connected again, and she lets him know this by wrapping her legs around his waist, locking him into position. He keeps a fairly slow and steady pace, working his way into her by building up to her climax. He didn’t want to rush through this – they wanted this to last for as long as they could manage. At least let Noct orgasm before she fell asleep underneath him (as he had learned was possible – if the rhythm stayed the same for too long, she’d simply pass out.)

Noctis threads her fingers through Gladio’s hair, and he pulls back ever so slightly, just to get another look at her face. She’s not crying anymore, which is a huge improvement, but she’s still got this terribly melancholy expression on – he kisses at her jawline, letting a hand linger to her hip, his thumb rubbing circles against her lower abdomen.

He knows that if they were any closer to one another, they’d melt into one person, but it still doesn’t feel like enough.

“You’re beautiful.” He mumbles against her skin, “You’re so fucking gorgeous, Noct.”

Her face turns red as he fucks her, feeling compelled to shield her eyes with her sleeve.

“Yeah, well – “ Noctis stops herself mid sentence, biting back a _smile_. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Gladio laughs, hitting a spot deep within her that causes her body to seize. She kind of whacks him against the cheek, gently – but he knows it’s only because he was totally embarrassing her, but it felt too good to deny.

“Seriously, Noct – I’d worship the ground you walk on.” He kisses her throat, “You’re far from perfect – you’re a brat.”

She’d be offended if she didn’t already know where he was going with this.

“But I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

“It’s an honor – huh.” She chuckles, “Getting to fuck the crown prince.”

“Oh, you have _no_ idea.”

He tucks his hands underneath her, supporting her back as he lifts her forward, against him. They have to do a little bit of shuffling around to position her on his lap, but he doesn’t slip from out of her. She’s pressed closely against him; clothing starting to stick to both of their bodies, though neither of them move to take it off.

It’s easier to find a rhythm when Noctis starts moving her hips with his own. He’s moving faster now, given much more room to work his way into her, keeping his face buried in her neck.

Noctis moans so softly to the point where he can hardly hear her, but he’s not gonna tease her about it. Gladio knows he’s dangerously close, feeling that _fantastic_ familiar warmth building in his groin.

He’s needed this pretty badly too, he figured. With Ignis gone, and Prompto needing some time alone, the two of them were all they had for now. Things would return to something a little more normal within the next couple of weeks, but trying to adjust to their absence was never easy.

He lifts his head to see her face once more, this time full of bliss and pleasure, eyes closed tight as she moved her hips in time with his.

“You feel so good.” He presses his lips to hers, “I’m close – you ready?”

Noctis cries out, one hand threaded through Gladio’s hair as her other traveled down her pelvis, fingertips grazing against her clit. She plays with herself while they fuck each other, and it was only making Gladio even more aroused.

“P-Please… you can come inside – I don’t care.” She says between gasps, “I need it – Gladio – I – “

She cuts herself off with a particularly loud moan, thighs clenching as a surge plows through her. He’s not playing around anymore, his thrusts are _much_ more powerful as he tries to find his release. And god… he knows he shouldn’t, but hearing those words out of her mouth. The temptation is too much, and there’s _no_ fucking way he was going to deny his prince a request like _that_.

It was irresponsible – so, so irresponsible. She just feels so good, and now he’s panting, blindly pressing his lips to her face, searching desperately for her mouth. She kisses him back with passion, moans escaping as he plows into her.

“You gotta cum first.” He growls, “You need me to eat you out again? Fuck – I can’t just – “

“N-No.” Noctis huffs, grinding her hips into him at a different angle that only makes him swell more. “L-Let me just – my vibrator… under my pillow.”

Gladio practically breaks out into laughter right then and there, wrapping his arms around Noctis tightly as he bends them both over, so he could slip his hand under the fabric and grab the bright blue dildo from under her cushions.

“You were sleepin’ with this thing?” He asks as he pulls her back up, thumb fiddling with the settings of the vibrator.

“Listen – I’ve been lonely and depressed as fuck – needed something to keep me occupied.” She’s blushing furiously, but grabs Gladio’s wrist anyway, placing the head of the silicon against her clit. “Now I’ll cum first.”

“Have I mentioned that you’re a brat?”

“Mm – but you love me anyway?”

He flashes a smile at her, pressing the power button on the vibrator, making it buzz ruthlessly against her clit. Noctis immediately yelps out, clutching onto Gladio with all of her strength. She’d slap Gladio for being such a cheeky bastard, but she was too absorbed in her own pleasure to even _see_ straight.

Her body spasms as she tries to collect herself, to no avail, but Gladio starts thrusting into her again, somehow mastering the art of grasping onto her ass while he kept the vibe positioned at her clit. The warmth in her lower belly is growing stronger, and the tightening she feels in her groin is just _begging_ to be let go.

“ _Fuck_ , Gladio.”

Noctis buries her face in his hair, finding a rhythm to her breathing as the sensation gets to be too much. She hated being too loud, but it was nearly impossible to stay quiet with how thorough he was being. The consistent _buzz_ against her clit is making her movements jerky, but she’s losing herself in it all.

Her release _finally_ surges through her body with one particular thrust. Her entire body seizes as she cums, gritting her teeth. Her insides clench around him, throbbing powerfully – breath hitching as she tries to get a hold of herself. He only stops thrusting for a moment, not wanting to over stimulate her and cause her any pain, but god _damn_ the way she was squeezing around him made it _unbearable_.

But, that was good enough for him.

Her thighs are shaking around his body, so he lays her back, lazily pressing kisses to her jawline. She makes the softest noise of satisfaction and approval, giving him the go to finish as he saw fit – he sets the vibrator aside and braces himself on the bed, his free hand gripping gently around her hip.

It hardly takes him much more effort, pressing his hips into hers a number of times before he feels ready to let go. Noctis inhales sharply when he fucks her to the hilt, crying out in exhaustion as he rides out the remainder of _her_ orgasm, into his own.

Gladio grits his teeth as he comes, holding Noctis still underneath him. _Irresponsible_ , but it felt so fucking good – it felt right. He fills her up good, burying his face into the crook of her neck, groaning against her skin. His cock throbs _hard_ inside of her, and he pumps two, three more times – enough to ride it out before finally falling limp.

She wraps her arms around his neck, kissing his temple. This was certainly lazier and messier than they were used to, but this felt necessary. It’s intimate this way, in ways they didn’t really get to express to one another on the daily. Gladio stays put for a while, but he finally pulls out when he feels Noctis shuffling underneath him, surely being crushed by his heavy stature.

Gladio rolls to his side, propping himself up on one elbow as his other hand goes to rest on her stomach, feeling her shudder underneath him. She’s nestled close to his side, eyes drifted closed as she takes in the afterglow, trying to recompose her thoughts.

“Was it good for you?”

Noctis laughs, pressing her head into his chest.

“Yeah. Big blue doesn’t live up to you and the others.” She mumbles, “Thanks.”

“Fuckin’ – anytime, sugar.”

She takes in his scent, placing her hand over his, intertwining their fingers together.

“Sorry – must’ve been awkward trying to sleep with me when I burst into tears midway through.” Noctis opens her eyes, though she avoids his gaze. “I just felt overwhelmed I guess – with… affection, and shit. It was nice; getting to be with you.”

“Nah, no need to be sorry. I’d be a shitty boyfriend if I didn’t try and understand where you were coming from.” He says, “I’m just sorry I’ve been so busy. If I had known that you were alone, I would’ve been here a lot sooner.”

“You’re here now. That’s what matters.”

Gladio pulls her real close, staring up at the ceiling.

Depression was a hard beast to tackle, and Gladio admitted that he didn’t really understand what it was like. It frustrated him, more often than not, but he had to be told time and time again to just be more _patient_.

If this is what it took, then maybe he could pull it off.

“I love you, Noct.” He says, eyes drifting closed. “I just want you to be happy.”

Noctis finds herself smiling.

“I’m not unhappy. But everything’s less _eh_ with you around.”

Gladio sort of scoffs at that, but he smiles regardless. She tilts her head up, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. She’s not quite ready for bed, wanting to clean off and grab her briefs from the floor. But, she thinks Gladio’s already fallen asleep – _baby_. He was the one who said he’d leave and watch TV in the living room, yet apparently he couldn’t keep his eyes open after sex.

Before inching out of bed, she pushes his hair from his face, thumb gently hovering over the scar down his face.

“I love you too, Gladio.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow my tumblr ([pepsipink](http://www.pepsipink.tumblr.com)) or twitter ([sodapopcore](http://www.twitter.com/sodapopcore)) im so lonely


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